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The Man Without a Shadow
The Man Without a Shadow: A Novel | Joyce Carol Oates
In this taut and fascinating novel, the bestselling, New York Times bestselling and National Book Award-winning author of The Sacrifice, The Accursed, and Lovely, Dark, Deep examines the mysteries of memory, personality, and identity and pierces the enigmatic force that drives human liveslove. In 1965, neuroscientist Margot Sharpe meets the attractive, charismatic Elihu Hoopesthe man without a shadowwhose devastated memory, unable to store new experiences or to retrieve the old, will make him the most famous and most studied amnesiac in history. Over the course of the next thirty years, Margot herself becomes famous for her experiments with E. H.and inadvertently falls in love with him, despite the ethical ambiguity of their affair, and though he remains forever elusive and mysterious to her, haunted by mysteries of the past. The Man Without a Shadow tracks the intimate, illicit relationship between Margot and Eli, as scientist and subject embark upon an exploration of the labyrinthine mysteries of the human brain. Where does memory reside? Where is love? Is it possible to love an individual who cannot love you, who cannot remember you from one meeting to the next? Made vivid by her exceptional eye for detail and her keen insight into the human psyche, The Man Without A Shadow is a unique story of forbidden love, a kind of secret, evolving marriage, depicted in Joyce Carol Oatess tight, impassioned prose. It is an uncanny, ambitious, and structurally complex novel that penetrates the mind and illuminates the heart.
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review
GidgetsTreasures75
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Mehso-so

8-16-23: My 79th finished book of 2023! This took me way too long to finish. It was just so repetitive. Eli Hoopes is an amnesiac who in 1965 contracted encephalitis and loses everything he learns within 70 seconds of learning it. Anything before 1965 he can remember. This means he always thinks he‘s 37. Margot Sharpe is the neuroscientist who meets Eli at the beginning of his illness and experiments on him for years. ⭐️⭐️⭐️📖#️⃣7️⃣9️⃣

review
Yossarian
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Pickpick

The life of the neuroscientist who studies (and loves) a man who cannot produce new memories.

It‘s like a fugue, if Bach were a 21st century author. The words repeat because the man can‘t remember that happened between the 1960s and 90 seconds ago. The main characters are together 90% of the book and must introduce themselves to each other over 100 times.

But the magic is in the few times something changes.

62 likes5 stack adds
review
Yossarian
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Pickpick

The life of the neuroscientist who studies (and loves) a man who cannot produce new memories.

It‘s like a fugue, if Bach were a 21st century author. The words repeat because the man can‘t remember that happened between the 1960s and 90 seconds ago. The main characters are together 90% of the book and must introduce themselves to each other over 100 times.

But the magic is in the few times something changes.

blurb
BookishMarginalia
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I love #JoyceCarolOates -- I'm in awe of her talent, and her productivity. How she ranges in theme and genre always amazes me.

DeeLew I love her writing! 7y
Notafraidofwords I've never read her. Where should I start? 7y
BookishMarginalia @Notafraidofwords I recommend this one because it's very accessible: 7y
See All 6 Comments
Notafraidofwords @BookishMarginalia thanks. Will add to my TBR ! 7y
LeeRHarry She's heading our way next month for our book festival ...I'm thinking I should go see her 😊 7y
110 likes4 stack adds6 comments
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Aseleener
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The wait times at my library's digital site are ridiculous. I've waited for this one since April 9th. It's not even a popular book! It became available yesterday, and I read a bit of chapter one, but I found I'm just not interested in it anymore. I only get 10 holds, so I feel like it was such a waste! #ugh

Lindy 😟 8y
moranadatter 😔 10 digital holds and interminable wait periods for ebooks. Sounds like our library system. You don't happen to live in Madison, do you? 8y
Aseleener @kmdartist Kenosha. Prob the same system though. Wisconsin Public Library Consortium. 8y
See All 6 Comments
moranadatter Small world! Yeah, same digital system. 8y
CrowCAH Understandable. Too bad it took so long... 8y
JoeStalksBeck Oh it is ridiculous. I wait for months then when I get it I forgot I put it on hold 😂 8y
38 likes6 comments
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NerdyRev
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I saw and met one of my literary heroes tonight- Joyce Carol Oates. I love her books and her writing. She was great! James Lasdun opened for her too as a surprise. I am now happy as I have met John Irving, Margret Atwood, and now JCO (and many others)

MrBook Awesome! 8y
14 likes1 comment
review
Hamburgerearmuffs
Pickpick

As always, the author writes a brilliant study of human character. I was never quite sure whether I liked the characters, felt sympathy for them, or downright despised them. She left me hanging in finding out things you might never get closure on in real life. Brilliant writer scores again.

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